Throughout her time in high school theater, senior Abby Horn has made her mark due to her wide range as an actress.
“I have seen her play a wide variety of different roles, from a quiet nerd in Puffs to Jo March in Little Women. She even played a villain last year in the Lightning Thief,” fall play Director Cassidy Cooper said.
Horn has participated in the play and musical every year since her freshman year.
“I have been fortunate to be able to work with her from freshman year all the way through to her senior year,” Cooper said. “She has been able to grow so much into her abilities and has gotten way more confident.”
Of her previous performances and productions, Horn said the musical Cinderella and her role in it as Lady Pinkerton stand out in her memory.
“Cinderella was probably the most fun show I’ve ever done. I had so many friends in that cast, and the show overall was really good. We sold out, which was one of my first shows where that happened,” Horn said.
This year, in the musical 9 to 5, Horn is enthusiastic about how she will be able to play her character, Roz Keith.
“She’s kind of a villainous supporting character. She’s really quirky, and I like that I get to have fun and do weird things with the role,” Horn said.
The musical runs Wednesday through Saturday in the auditorium.
Horn’s theater involvement goes beyond acting, as she is also the head student artist for set design.
“Getting involved in all these different facets of theater made me realize there’s more than one way to be involved,” Horn said.
Horn began to put in many hours into the set-building aspect, which gained her a leadership role.
“She is in charge of the vision of the set when it comes to the color palette, the painting, and all of the design choices,” Cooper said.
Horn finds set building an enjoyable challenge.
“I like being involved in the design and creation process for the sets. You have to come up with creative solutions for different problems with the set. You have to make sure it’s practical but also aesthetically pleasing,” Horn said.
Senior Zaynah El Maghrabi said Horn’s set design work really stands out.
“She’s very involved with the set design. I think her greatest strength is her range,” El Maghrabi said. “She’s so creative. It’s impressive.”
Horn also is a great communicator, El Maghrabi said.
“She communicates with the directors and with her peers. She gathers good intel on what people like and don’t like. She focuses on what’s visually appealing and what the audience would like,” El Maghrabi said.
Horn loves many aspects of working in Baldwin theater productions.
“I really enjoy performing, creating, and seeing all of my hard work pay off. I love the final bow, making people laugh, and performing for an audience,” Horn said.
But making friendships stands out.
“My favorite thing about theater is all of the friends I’ve made and the different experiences I’ve had with them. During tech week and everything that happens in a show, you naturally get really close with people,” she said.
Looking ahead to college, Horn plans to pursue her passion for theater.
“I definitely plan to continue theater after high school. I’m going to Pitt, and they have a really good theater program. I’m planning to either minor or obtain a BA in musical theater,” Horn said.
In college, Horn wants to expand past acting and become more well-rounded in the arts.
“I also want to expand my experience backstage. I want to learn more about lighting programs and design programs. I want to become a ‘jack of all trades’ in theater,” she said.
